Stephen Cox: New Book Release – “The L&M Porsche – Can Am Champion”

Television host Bill Stephens called the L&M Porsche “perhaps the most recognizable racecar in the world” on a recent episode of “Mecum Muscle Cars and More.”

The legendary 1972 Can Am champion L&M Porsche 917 driven by George Follmer and Mark Donohue will go up on the auction block at Mecum Monterey, August 16-18.

To celebrate this historic offering, Stephen Cox of Sopwith Motorsports Television Productions was commissioned to write a new book about the racecar that changed motorsports history.

“The L&M Porsche – Can Am Champion” was officially released this week and the entire 98-page volume may be read online right now in an easy to read, page-by-page format (http://issuu.com/mecumauction/docs/porschecanam?mode=window). The book may also be printed out for free, complete with all 47 photos, in its final published layout.

“This is one of the most important racecars to be auctioned in years,” Cox said, “and I’m grateful to Dana Mecum and everyone at Mecum Auctions for allowing me to be part of it. They are the ones who made this happen.”

Many people who were directly involved in the 1972 Can Am season contributed heavily to the book. Driver George Follmer shared his memories of the car, Roger Penske and his teammate, Mark Donohue.

Penske’s chief mechanic, John Woodard, literally lived in the same garage with this car for a full year and his contribution to the work was enormous. Woodard recalled things about the L&M Porsche that no other living human being could have known.

Veteran motorsports journalist Pete Lyons shared his memories and contributed many rare photographs from the 1972 Can Am racing season.

Porsche’s historical staff in Stuttgart, Germany researched the full historical record of the L&M Porsche from each race in order to accurately reconstruct the career of this magnificent car.

“The L&M Porsche – Can Am Champion” has also been printed in physical form and hard back, full color copies will be available on site at the Mecum Monterey auction in August. Public admission at the auction is complimentary, and the event will be aired live on national television with author Stephen Cox as co-host.